Michelle vs. Denzel

Michelle vs. Denzel

From Gary Bauer – Founder/President of Campaign for Working Families – Arlington, VA

Two commencement speeches at historically black universities this weekend made headlines. Graduates of Tuskegee University got to hear from First Lady Michelle Obama.

The Hill writes that the young men and women heading out into the world got a “candid view” about “the challenges and emotional toll of being the country’s first black first lady.”

She complained about her treatment in the press. “Was I too loud or too emasculating? Or was I too soft? Too much of a mom and not enough of a career woman,” she said. But Michelle was just getting warmed up.

Bloomberg reporter David Knowles writes, “Obama then aired a laundry list of slights she said black Americans deal with on a regular basis.”

“The road ahead is not going to be easy. It never is, especially for folks like you and me. . . . We’ve both felt the sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives. The folks who crossed the street in fear of their safety. The clerk who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores. The people at formal events who assumed we were help.”

Contrast Michelle Obama’s comments to those of actor Denzel Washington, who addressed the graduating class of Dillard University in New Orleans. In his brief address, he laid out four points for the graduates to focus on in their lives. He said:

“Number one: Put God first! Put God first in everything you do. Everything I have is by the grace of God. Understand that. It’s a gift. . . .

“Number three: You’ll never see a U-haul behind a hearse. I don’t care how much money you make, you can’t take it with you. . . . It’s not how much you have, it’s what you do with what you have.

“Finally, I pray that you put your slippers way under your bed tonight, so that when you wake up in the morning you have to get on your knees to reach them. And while you’re down there, say thank you. Thank you for grace, thank you for mercy, thank you for understanding, thank you for wisdom, thank you for parents, thank you for love, thank you for kindness, thank you for humility, thank you for peace, thank you for prosperity.”